You'd think this would be great and in one way it is, with more people knowing about kettlebells more people will train with them and reap the rewards.
The trouble is most of them miss by a large margin the whole point of using kettlebells, instead they get the pretty boy models to hold kettlebells, instead of dumbbells or being sat on a machine, and continue to mimic bodybuilding. Snatch, clean and jerk are rarely mentioned, and the swing is de-emphasized. So whats the point? I was reminded by a client to remember that these publications are only interested in distracting the reader for 5 minutes with an article that differs only slightly from the one that occupied the same pages the previous month. I don't believe this is true of all of the journalists who have compiled these articles, I have managed to get my point across recently but it admittedly took a few back and forth emails to stop my words being incorrectly edited and pared down to nothing useful. I suppose if the reader is interested they will seek out a coach and get the right idea from a more reliable source than the journalist who misunderstood and misrepresented. Unfortunately it seems many coaches in the uk are not interested in continuing to develop and so have not managed to seek out the real benefits of kbs and so do not place the correct emphasis on the use of kettlebells.
The guardian article isn't too bad by the way, at least swing and snatch are used, and I know that Tommy Matthews and Bj Rule of One Personal Training are fully aware of the correct emphasis in kettlebell training.
Its a shame that many may come to the conclusion that kettlebells are just the latest craze rather than a far more effective way to train than badly done two dimensional training/bodybuilding. But they will come to that conclusion if they are sold the concept of kettlebells as fantastic and then just end up doing press, squat, row with them, something they were already doing unsuccessfully with dumbbells and barbells.
As for what kettlebells ARE for...their design is best suited for high rep swing, snatch, clean and jerk (either single/double, long cycle or just jerk). The abilities they develop where listed very nicely by Eric Lifford on the American Kettlebell Club blog
"If you are looking for Strength-Endurance, GPP, Explosive Power, Ability to cope with stress…, Work Capacity, Grip, Coordination, Staying Power, Mental Toughness, Athleticism, Fat-Loss/Altered Body Composition, Stress Reduction, Focus, Patience, Health, Vitality, Determination, Flexibility, Joint/Tendon/Ligament/Muscle Prehab and more, I think Valery’s right when he says “Kettlebells, it’s enough”!"
The American Kettlebell Club blog and forum are well worth keeping abreast of, go to www.americankettlebellclub.com
Maybe I'm being unreasonable but if its your job to coach clients in the use of kettlebells then to me it seems logical that you research it fully and seek to improve and develop, likewise, as a journalist you should be representing the facts as they are presented to you and also doing some background research not just filling space around adverts.
Scott Sonnon being coached by Valery Federenko
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